


214 NAP HOUSE

by tents



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, House Party, Mutual Pining, Recreational Drug Use, Strangers to Lovers, Street Racing, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-05
Updated: 2016-08-05
Packaged: 2018-07-29 14:17:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7687744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tents/pseuds/tents
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>let’s pretend clarke and lexa are reborn as teenagers/young adults into a modern, college au, "skins"-esque world with partying and street racing and soft lesbians.<br/>modern au with clexa + the 100 kids as millennials in college. you know the drill</p>
            </blockquote>





	214 NAP HOUSE

**Author's Note:**

> hope you all enjoy this as much as i enjoyed writing it. i had been wanting to do a skins-esque world without all the unnecessary drama and sex. and with more lesbians.  
> everyone's in their early 20s. like 20, 22. nothing's gonna ruin your 20s more than thinking you should have your life together, so to compensate, everyone is gonna party  
> also i’m doing another fic about college clexa! soon, hopefully. but we’ll see if i ever get around to that. also this fic isn't in the same world as the other college au i wrote ("would you stay up to figure this out?"). 
> 
> please read at your own discretion. i don’t want to be an enabler bc there’s marijuana use and street racing and college kids drinking in this for storytelling purposes. just a warning. always do your own research!

_everyone’s so intimately rearranged / everyone’s so focused clearly with such shine_

—“lazy eye” by silversun pickups

* * *

the metal shopping cart clinks quietly as lexa places another bottle into it. anya laughs at her younger sister as she pulls the cart along, glass bottles clinking against each other.

“i don’t think there has been a single parent who walked by us without giving us a judgy look,” anya states, gesturing towards the contents of their shopping cart.

lexa’s eyes follow her sister’s. there’s a variety of dark and light alcohol along with some assorted cups and plasticware piled randomly at the bottom of the cart. she shrugs.

“i don’t see where the issue is,” she says nonchalantly, shrugging. “we are in a wholesale store. we are buying in wholesale.”

she pulls two more handles off the aisle and adds those to the cart as well.

it’s a typical friday afternoon, but a special friday for lexa and her housemates, at least: the friday before summer classes began. she had spent a good amount of the last week moving into her new place in tonDC with her other housemates octavia, ontari, and luna. they had switched leases and were moving into an apartment down the block from the previous one lexa had lived in for her second year of college, from apartment number 303 to 214.

and now that everything is done, it is only fitting for 214 to throw one last party for all the summer residents of the neighborhood of tonDC. even though it was built near polis university, it housed more local residents who worked in the city than students of polis uni.

though they weren’t related by blood, anya could definitely see characteristics where lexa took after her—from the mischievous glint in her eye to the way she held herself in a group of people, whether her friends or colleagues. there is an air of confidence to her that had been nurtured by both herself and their foster parents from when she was younger. she has a good grasp on the two main halves of her life, the academic and social—a precarious balance between discipline and dawdling.

but for the most part, she’s a good kid. she has a good heart and good judgment. anya feels a pang of guilt for not being around for most of lexa’s junior and senior years of high school and not visiting her during her first year in college despite the two of them being in the same city. but she was here now spending time with her, and even if lexa was the least bit spiteful, she appreciated spending time with anya more than holding a grudge.

so far, their shopping cart contains roughly a 3:1 ratio of alcohol to fruit punch. lexa surveys the cart after after adding a number of citrus fruit, apples, and a few packs of beer, smiling in satisfaction.

“remind me again why i’m illegally using my legal adult status to purchase alcohol for you to illegally consume at your party,” anya drolls as she pushes lexa out of the way to maneuver the cart towards the register. “and during my lunch break?!”

“because,” lexa begins, pulling out a memo pad from the back of her pocket (to which anya rolls her eyes), “A: you’re staying at my place for the weekend waiting for your next lease to start; B: there so happens to be a party planned on the friday that you happen to be staying at my place; C: i haven’t seen you in like six months, so if this is our last opportunity to hang out before you leave for your trip to nepal after you move into your new apartment, so be it.” she tacks the last sentence in nonchalantly as she pulls out her wallet.

“is that memo pad full of my receipts for being a bad sister or what?”

“no,” lexa says, showing her the “grocery” list on her memo pad. she flips to the next available page. “but i can start doing that, if you’d like.”

“no, thank you, sis,” anya says, chuckling despite herself.

“and you’re not a bad sister.” lexa doesn’t give anya time to respond, handing over a gift card to the cashier instead.

“i got this, lex,” anya tells her when the cashier rings up their total, but lexa holds up a hand.

“wait ‘til after this,” she says, pulling out a few more cards. anya watches, baffled, as the cashier swipes each card through the machine.

“can i see your ID, please?” the cashier asks lexa after she inspects anya’s ID.

anya freezes—it hadn’t occurred to her that lexa would be getting carded as well. but her ID is cleared as well, and anya ends up paying a quarter of the original subtotal thanks to the gift cards.

“where did you get all those?” anya asks as they load the “groceries” into the car. “and that was a fake you just used, right? i did the math like six times over in my head, i’m pretty sure you’re still twenty for like four more months.”

lexa laughs, handing over her fake as she climbs into the driver’s seat, anya into the passenger. her car engine thrums to life and she carefully backs out of the parking space. “gift cards were from me, O, and luna. i got the fake online from somewhere emori recommended.”

“damn, it’s got the hologram watermark too,” anya says, putting the ID back in lexa’s wallet. “i have raised you much better than i anticipated.”

lexa smirks, shrugging. “well, you can only learn from the best.”

her car slows to a stop at a red light. it’s a relatively cool afternoon, but the black paint on the exterior of her car seemed to attract more heat throughout the day. lexa flicks the switch to close the windows as music thumps ambiently through her speakers.

“you know, that ticket to come to nepal with me is still available,” anya tells her.

“you haven’t cancelled it yet?”

“cancellation fees are like $200! i’d rather let it be a no-show than drop $200 _and_ not show up.”

“three weeks in nepal is a long time.”

“i know, but i feel like it’d be good to get away from the city,” anya says. “detox for three weeks.” lexa laughs. “plus i’m really excited to see everyone over there again. i feel like i’ve grown a foot since i’ve last seen them.”

“i’m excited for you. too,” lexa says, eyes on the road as she drives. “i’m still on the fence, though.”

“you still have a few weeks to figure it out.”

“i know. i’ll let you know soon.”

“you texted me that like a month ago.”

lexa slows to a stop at a big intersection. “i know. but for real this time.”

she hears anya laugh in the passenger seat while she watches the midday cross traffic. she wasn’t lying—she had been on the fence about the trip for the longest time. their foster parents had taken the two of them to nepal when they were younger to visit relatives from anya’s biological parents’ side of the family over a decade ago when anya was still in her preteens. she wanted to look at it under a new lens now that she was older (and much taller).

she’s pulled out of her thoughts when she hears anya laugh again beside her, but this time it’s more of a snort than a laugh.

“look out, lex.”

the brunette looks past her laughing sister’s face to her side mirror. she sees a car slowly grow larger in the reflection as it approaches, and she leans in to look a little closer in the small mirror. the car is familiar, and entirely so: it’s identical to lexa’s.

“what the hell?”

nearly identical, at least—it’s in the stark white colorway instead of lexa’s jet black. the windows are tinted completely black like lexa’s as well.

“holy shit, it’s your car,” anya says, inspecting the paint detailing on the white car. “i thought yours was the LTD release?”

“it is,” lexa says. where lexa’s car’s paint detailing was white, the other car’s was black. “but dad said it came in two colorways. they only made two thousand of each for worldwide release.”

it rolls up slowly beside her. the engine blares once as it eases into a stop, a sharp, almost provoking sound, and for a moment, no one moves. the white car rumbles as it sits beside her at the stoplight, as if it was challenging her.

“you know, if i didn’t know any better, i’d say they’re trying to scare you,” lexa hears her sister say beside her. “have you raced in this car before?” anya asks, just as the white car revs its engine again.

“depends on your definition of ‘race’.”

“as in: you pull up at the stoplight, they pull up next to you, you both make an indication that you wanna race, and you gas ‘em when the light turns green. that sound familiar?”

“okay, yeah but i’ve only done that unintentionally,” she adds at anya’s unamused face (“i don’t even know what that means.”). “i have a bigass car, i prefer to draw as little attention to myself as possible. i just go when the light turns green and my engine happens to be loud.”

“such humility,” her older sister tells her, smirking. “you have a bigass car, lex, everyone sees you anyway. damn, their windows are like 20% tinted,” she adds, sitting up in her chair. “i can see their silhouettes, though. it’s two girls. or two people with ponytails?”

“so what? are they cute?”

“ugh, lexa, you useless lesbian,” anya mutters under her breath, turning back towards her sister with a shadow of a smile on her face (lexa: “also, what the fuck does 20% tinted mean?”). “put your car into neutral, rev your engine, and get ready to gas it.”

“what?”

“20% tint means the windows are mostly dark with a little transparency. AKA: they don’t want you to see their face. anyways, you’re gonna race!”

“ _what_?!”

“lexa, the crosswalk meter over there has twenty-six seconds left. this car is _literally_ your match—same model, make, LTE, whatever—and they just challenged you to a race. only two thousand of each of your models released to the whole world. yet here you both are. what are the fucking odds?” anya begins, using her big sister tone that momentarily transports lexa back into childhood. “when that light turns green, they’re gonna gas it and leave your ass in the dust, and that’s gonna be their only and final impression of you forever.” anya sits back in her chair. “or you can gas them. anyways, once in a lifetime opportunity, sis. you have seven seconds to make your decision.”

the younger girl looks over at her sister and exhales sharply. she lifts her foot off the gas gently and her car crawls up to the line at the end of intersection. her green eyes flick up to meet anya’s hazel to give her a harmless glare in response to the smug look on her face. she switches into neutral, revving her engine three times.

the white car almost immediately pulls up next to her, revving its engine in a short burst of three as well.

despite her earlier protests, lexa finds her heart beating in her throat when she sees the other car pull up beside her. the earth seems to be rumbling with anticipation and adrenaline floods her bloodstream. she takes a deep breath to still her nerves, rolling her fingers against her steering wheel. her mind quickly formulates a list of things to do once the light turns green, and she checks her dash to make sure there aren’t any flare-up notifications.

“hope your windows are tinted as much as hers are because i’ve been mugging them since they pulled up,” anya says, and lexa’s laughter is buried in the sound of the music when anya turns the volume dial to the right.

“they are.”

“good.”

the crosswalk meter hits zero, and time stops for the dreaded three seconds of delay while the cross traffic lights to turn red.

“polis isn’t big enough for the both of us,” lexa says to herself, sounding much more serious than she looks.

“you’re a fucking nerd.”

lexa doesn’t take her eyes off the light in front of her until it flashes green, and she shifts her feet on the foot pedals and flicks her engine into gear with a dexterous hand for someone who claims to never have raced.

both cars erupt into speed, thundering across the intersection before any of the cars behind them had even realized the light turned green. lexa braces for impact as the momentum forces her back against her seat and her car pushes forward. her steering wheel thrums beneath her palm as both cars accelerate and hurtle down the expressway, the white car nearly even with hers.

the roar from their engines is deafening, drowning out the music. lexa keeps her eyes firmly on the road before she catches movement out of the corner of her eye.

the white car had gained a slight lead. lexa presses down a little harder on the gas, but the white car’s gain was enough. she already feels her car decelerating and, knowing when a battle is lost, takes her foot off the gas pedal to let the other car barrel past her, barely making the yellow light and leaving her at the red.

the music rushes back to lexa with the sudden lack of engine noise as she rolls to a complete stop at the intersection line. they had been only engaged in a close race for a mere seven seconds, and she loosens her grip on the steering wheel. lexa watches as the car drives away (literally) into the sunset, simmering. her adrenaline rush wanes, nose flaring as she exhales.

from the corner of her eye, she sees anya slowly pan over to her, arms forward, phone out, snapchat video in progress.

“well,” she says, still filming. “hate to break it to you, kid, but… you got fuckin’ owned.”

she dramatically zooms in on her little sister’s pout at the camera.

//

rush hour had just begun by the time lexa pulls up at anya’s workplace. anya finishes rolling up the cuffs of her sleeves and fixes the tuck of her shirt into her jeans.

“casual friday?” lexa asks.

“if that means swapping out your business bottoms for jeans, yes,” anya responds, smirk on her face as she climbs out of the car. “thanks for the ride, lex.”

“you’re welcome. and anya?” she calls out of the open window as anya pulls her bag over her shoulder.

“what?”

“i’ll go to nepal with you.”

anya’s usual hard demeanor cracks for a second. her eyebrows scrunch slightly before relaxing. “you mean it?”

“yes.”

“not going to leave me hanging last minute at the airport?”

“absolutely not. i’ll have octavia drive us to the airport.”

her older sister thinks for a moment. “we’re going to talk about this later, okay? i have to get back to the office. text me?”

“you got it.”

“okay, lex. i’ll see you tonight.”

anya waves one last time before disappearing through the automatic doors, and lexa merges back into traffic and heads back to 214.

//

“aw, look at that lip!” emori teases. octavia and luna are huddled on either of emori’s sides, who’s holding lexa’s phone where the video of her loss will be available to view on anya’s story for the next twenty hours.

“how you feelin’, champ?” octavia asks.

“do you need a hug?” luna offers, and lexa rolls her eyes even harder, smiling despite herself. “driving lessons, perhaps?”

“luna, you nearly got into four fender benders _yesterday_ ,” emori tells her.

“keyword: nearly,” she counters, grinning at the other girls before going upstairs to get her DJ gear.

lexa sets the plastic cups in her hands down on the coffee table, laughing along with her friends.

despite the budget that lexa, luna, octavia, and emori had at their old apartment, 303, for party decorations, their original light setup was still enough to get any party started. along one wall of the living room was a simple string of vertical LED lights that flashed bright white intermittently. on the opposite wall, there was a lightbulb that changed color every second, and on the DJ booth in the corner was a stationary rotating disco ball that projected a kaleidoscope of LED colors onto the ceiling.

they have two beer pong tables set up in the living room and shifted all the other furniture to the dining room, which was used for everything but dining. emori found one of their old, five-foot-tall halloween ghost decoration and hung it up by the end of the staircase with a sign around its neck that said DO NOT FUCKING ENTER.

the alcohol was stacked neatly on their coffee table, which octavia and emori had pushed into another corner of the room while lexa was out with anya. she peers into one of the sports coolers set in the center. the fruit punch they dumped into them earlier barely filled a third of the maximum capacity.

lexa looks up when she hears the sound of luna’s footsteps coming down the stairs, DJ gear in her arms.

“luna, put on our song,” octavia calls once the other girl finishes setting up. “ritual.”

luna adjusts a few knobs on her controller and turns the volume up so the song plays loud but isn’t overbearing.

“grab a handle, friends,” octavia instructs. “one per hand. that’s what she said.” she looks up at the three of her roommates, pulling the cap off of a handle of jack. “here’s to the end of our old apartment at 303. may our elderly neighbors, who never failed to call the cops to come and roll every single one of our parties, find peace and quiet in their apartment number 307. may they never have to dial the cops for that reason ever again.”

there is a murmur of assent. octavia continues.

“here’s to 214. hopefully, our new younger neighbors never call the cops to shut down our parties. hopefully, ex-felons never wander into our doors demanding alcohol at a college party like they did at 303.”

louder murmurs of assent.

“all right,” octavia says, holding up her bottle. “one last run before summer classes. for me and emori, at least. let’s get it!!!”

the four girls simultaneously tip the mouths of their bottles into one of the coolers, emptying the contents before uncapping another and pouring it in.

“wait!” emori exclaims, disappearing into the kitchen and reemerging with all the fruit from earlier, now peeled and diced and arranged haphazardly on a platter.

they all stop as she divides them roughly and adds them all in as well.

“okay, every time emori stops partying to reference food: drink,” luna announces, and the other girls nod.

they smirk at emori and all drink from a bottle in one of their hands simultaneously in silence. lexa’s cheeks grow even warmer from smiling.

“whatever. we don’t have any food and you’re all gonna thank me later when you get munchies or some shit,” emori tells them, setting the platter down.

the other three all exchange another look before drinking again.

emori moves towards the other side of the room. “also, maybe we should chill on all the flashing lights in here. it’s going to give somebody a seizure.”

//

lexa wasn’t sure what the exact capacity was for the first floor of their 1,241 square foot apartment, but she was pretty sure it was probably a third of amount of people currently in her living room.

it was like the crowd in front of the stage at a festival. people were packed inside like sardines in a tin. there was an overwhelming amount people and zero walking room. the four girls had invited all their friends as well as any of their friends’ friends, but it was a friday night, and they were bound to attract some stragglers.

the party was well underway, about an hour and a half in. emori had turned off the flashing neon lightbulb but left the string of lights and the disco ball on, and everyone seems to be having a great time. people are dancing, singing, cheering, socializing. partygoers are surprisingly responsive when lexa attempts to clear the path for lincoln to carry out another cooler of jungle juice.

lexa finds octavia standing by luna amidst the cheers and applause at the prospect of more alcohol.

“are we at 214 or a fucking frat party?” luna asks the both of them, taking one end of her headphones off. the music projects outward from her desktop subwoofer speaker set, bass pounding and music blasting surprisingly loud for a college budget.

“it is _nasty_ in here,” octavia begins. “i have never seen this many people at our parties,” octavia says over the music. “not even for emori’s birthday bash last semester.”

“there’s like a twenty degree difference between the inside of our house and outside,” lexa tells them over the music. “but for some reason everyone’s in here.”

“gotta keep an eye on the alcohol,” luna says, and everyone laughs. “we did good, my gals.” she transitions into another song.

people are huddled around everywhere, some are managing to dance despite the lack of room, and there are yells from boys and girls from every corner in the room as an intense game of beer pong takes place between emori and her boyfriend murphy, and lincoln and octavia’s brother, bellamy.

lexa’s on cloud nine. lincoln’s friends had brought bud and other substances as well—something called ALIE-2, which might explain why people were getting exciting over the flashing party city lightbulb they set up in the corner. people, partygoers, and strangers alike had been stopping her and octavia asking for a light, to which they happily oblige. it was one thing that confused lexa about partygoers: people could have every substance deemed smokeable on them at their parties but not a lighter. it was an interesting dynamic.

she’s not shitfaced quite yet, but the sound of the music makes her want to dance, seeing her friends’ smiling faces makes her realize how much she loves having them around, and the lights on the walls and ceiling… she can’t even look at them. not for too long, at least. maybe she does understand what the people on ALIE-2 feel.

“hey,” lexa says, holding out her cup. “here’s to another year of our adult tears and college shenanigans.”

“work hard, play hard,” octavia adds, lifting up her cup to join lexa’s.

“my cup’s empty!” luna yells over the music, and her other two girls pour enough to fill all the cups to about the same quantity. they all take a long sip—as much as lexa will permit herself to have at this point in the party. at this rate, there was no telling when it would end.

“i’ll get you a beer,” lexa tells luna when she sees that the other girl had drained her cup. the DJ smiles, giving her a thumbs up, and lexa turns away and begins navigating around everyone, brushing against people in the crowd.

octavia laughs as she watches her go. “lex, one drink together and you’re already throwing hips?!”

lexa wiggles her eyebrows at octavia before disappearing into the crowd.

it was a trek traveling from the DJ corner of the room to the drinks corner. there was a haze of smoke in the room, and lexa is thankful she isn’t a hundred percent sober so she doesn’t really have to think about how gross her skin feels.

she witnesses bellamy and lincoln land both their beer pong balls into a cup during their turn and high-fives them, nearly elbowing someone in the process.

“sick ass party, lexa,” bellamy tells her as she passes.

“thanks, bell! did you come here with lincoln?”

“yeah! a few of our friends are gonna meet up with us here, too,” he says. “they’re cool. O knows ‘em too! plus they have your favorite plant.”

“fuck yes, i like them already. want a drink?”

“i’m good, thanks. got a light?”

“you bet,” lexa says, and she lights his joint for him and takes a drag before making her way to the drinks table. gus, one of her friends from high school who attends a private university nearby in polis, stands by the cooler. she had asked him to keep an eye on the drinks ever since she overheard a few boys in the dining halls joking about putting roofies into a keg or cooler at a party. the girls at 303 (now 214) have taken precaution since then. they weren’t risking anything.

“thanks for watching the cooler, gus,” she tells him, grabbing a beer while cradling her drink in the other.

he nods, gladly accepting the joint she offers and allowing her to light it.

lexa grins, taking a drag when he offers the joint to her. “let me know if you need anything else!”

the summer night air hits her as she steps out the back door after delivering luna’s drink. it’s a cathartic experience compared to inside, and lexa breathes it in. there’s people gathered outside as well, talking amongst themselves and smoking. she sees roan and octavia each shotgunning a beer in the grass, and she starts making her way over to them when her phone buzzes with a notification from anya. her hands fumble with the swipe to unlock function but she gets it.

 

> **ANUS (11:23pm):** Hey just got off my work event I’m coming to 214 right now
> 
> **LARYNX (11:24pm):** schweet
> 
> **ANUS (11:32pm):** Also why is your name ‘larynx’ in my phone
> 
> **LARYNX (11:39pm):** u dont wanba know

//

by the time anya arrives, lexa had gone back inside and taken a few more shots with octavia and bellamy, and she is definitely feeling the alcohol. she laughs a little louder, she smiles so wide to the point where her cheeks ache, and while the others are dancing with everyone else, lexa is perfectly content dancing and swaying to the beat by herself.

she makes her way back out into the crisp air, feeling more like she had just dove into a pool rather than step over the threshold outside.

it’s difficult to see underneath the muted glow of the yellow street lamps in addition to her inebriation. the music from inside thumps faintly behind her.

anya emerges from the shadows a moment later, shouldering a small bag and still dressed in her business attire.

“anya!” lexa calls out, rushing over. “hey, hello, you made it.”

“and you’re drunk, you goof,” anya tells her, returning her embrace. “i can’t believe i’m sober at a college party right now.”

“we can definitely change the level of your sobriety should you desire” lexa tells her. her voice is still relatively coherent. “also, not college party. my party.”

anya rolls her eyes dramatically. “same difference.” she unzips her shoulder bag. “anyways, i stopped by the club for you.”

lexa peers inside, and her eyes widen. it hadn’t registered to her that when she said club, she meant _cannabis_ club.

“you are a saint,” lexa tells anya, shaking her hand vigorously between both of her own. “a visionary. radiant. ethereal. truly exceptional work, it was lovely doing business with you.”

“okay, lex,” anya tells her with a smile on her face. “you’re welcome.”

“also, i have an answer for you,” the younger girl adds.

“you haven’t asked me anything.”

“no, not that. nepal. i’m gonna go with you.”

“you already told me that,” anya tells her, laughing. “at least now i know you’re serious.”

“i was,” lexa says very seriously for a drunk person. “i think it will be good. i want to experience it again. i want to see it as a new person. not as a nine year old.”

anya surveys her sister for a moment. her judgment of her sister’s sobriety levels have been a bit rusty since lexa’s high school days. lexa had always been a giggly, affectionate drunk—it was hard to keep a smile off her face—but lexa looks at anya with a neutral face now, eyes bright and unwavering.

“okay,” anya says. “i hope you have enough laundry left to pack for the trip.”

“ _ugh_ , don’t remind me,” lexa groans. “but now! a drink!”

they begin making their way towards the house again when the door opens and two girls emerge, one supporting the other. they traipse outside, leaning against the brick wall of lexa’s apartment building. one of the girls presses her back against the wall and slides down to sit on the sidewalk.

“whoa, hey, are you alright?” lexa asks, approaching them. “are you okay? do you need water? shit, do we even have any water left?”

“i have a few bottles in my car,” anya offers.

the girl on the floor, a dark brunette with warm skin, looks up at lexa and smiles, shaking her head. “we’re good, thank you! i’m just resting my leg. not much room to sit in there.” she adjusts her brace against her leg, and lexa gasps.

“oh my god, you’re hurt and you’re still out here partying with us,” she says, kneeling down. “thank you for coming today. i hope you’re having a good time. your eyebrows are lovely, by the way.” the other girl and her friend laugh at lexa’s candid remark. “do you drink? i’ll get you a beer.”

“nah, shouldn’t mix alcohol with my pain meds.”

“right, of course! smoke?” lexa looks towards the girl’s friend, a blonde with bright blue eyes.

“you bet,” she tells lexa. her eyes are a little pink and her cheeks are flushed.

they’re both lovely. the brunette’s features are sharp but her brown eyes are soft with hair that had volume for days. the blonde has a round face framed by shoulder length waves of golden hair with faded pink ends—usually not something lexa took much notice in but it looked fantastic on her.

lexa smiles. “it’s your lucky day. i’m lexa, by the way. i live here. this is my sister, anya.” she gestures behind her while keeping her eyes on the other two girls in front of her.

the brunette sticks out her hand and shakes lexa’s. “raven.”

the blonde smiles at lexa, offering her hand as well. “i’m clarke.”

“clarke. raven. you’re both lovely,” lexa says, not noticing their blush and giggles. “do you know anyone here?”

“i’m friends with bellamy who’s friends with lincoln who invited bellamy who invited us.”

“you know bell! awesome. are you from around here?”

“we’re both summer transfers from arkadia. raven’s my housemate,” clarke explains, looking towards lexa as raven and anya engage in their own conversation. “we’re on the other side of campus, on skaikru and trikru.”

“are you telling me this because you’re going to invite me to parties at skaikru and trikru?” lexa asks, a mischievous smirk on her face.

“you might be hearing the names around soon.” clarke mirrors lexa’s smile. “as to if you’re invited… depends what happens tonight.”

lexa pouts. “well, welcome to polis. have i impressed you thus far?”

the blonde narrows her eyes. “not you, specifically… but maybe,” she pauses for effect. “maybe... your DJ. raven’s sober and she got her dancing.”

“doesn’t happen very often, by the way,” raven adds. “i like a good beat.”

clarke smiles at her before turning back to lexa. “yeah, your DJ’s pretty cool.”

“damn it, she is,” lexa admits, frowning.

“you’re pretty cute, too, i guess.”

“it must be this lighting,” lexa says, gesturing to the burnt orange light they are currently submerged in because of the nearby streetpost. her mind is too preoccupied by clarke’s statement to think of a more clever response.

clarke lets out a laugh.

“what were we talking about? smoking? weed? anya?”

she turns around to where anya stands behind her, hand out for weed, when something else catches her eye. it’s across the street, almost hidden from her peripheral vision, but there was no mistaking it. lexa rises to stand, blood rushing, head seemingly adjusting to the five-foot altitude change.

“ho-ly fuc-king shit,” lexa says suddenly, emphasizing each syllable when the world comes into focus again. “holy fucking shit, anya, it’s the car.”

maybe her mind was playing tricks. but right now, underneath the shadow of a tree from the nearby street lamp, lexa was almost positive that that was it.

it was the car from earlier that day. the car that gassed her and left her in the dust and bruised her ego a little more than she would like to admit after she lost. sure, it was a brief race but had it been any other car, lexa would not care as much as she did right now, but it was literally _her car_ that she raced earlier that day—just in opposite colors. and maybe her vision was a little messed up too, but it looked to be the same white with black paint detailing car with the dark tinted windows. this car and her own were part of the same limited edition batch. they were equals.

“lexa, they’re cars,” anya says.

“huh?”

“you said your cars were equals.”

lexa doesn’t hear her, she’s already walking towards the white car. “i’m going to check to see if it’s really it. excuse me, new friends,” she tells clarke and raven, who were both looking in the direction of the car as well.

upon closer inspection, lexa sees that the paint detailing is the same as her own. the windows are still dark, the tires have black rims like her car. admittedly, the stark white did look really nice against the car’s black details. lexa was already formulating a plan on how to get them to race again. leave a note on their car? no, that was weird. hope they roll up next to her again? that was highly unlikely.

she circles the car a few more times.

suddenly, it beeps.

not _beeps_ , like the alarm went off or anything.

it beeps. twice, like someone had just unlocked it. the lights even flash, and lexa knows the car had really _beeped_. and it’s only after (sober) anya bursts out laughing next to clarke before lexa realizes what’s going on. clarke’s grinning at her again but for an entirely different reason.

her car keys are in her hand. she clicks it again and the white car honks and flashes its lights to signal that it is now locked.

“clarke? you’re the one who beat me at the stoplight?”

she looks back and forth between the car and clarke before deciding it’s not the best decision to make for her head while she’s intoxicated.

“you’re the one who pulled up first,” clarke tells her when lexa approaches the others again, walking as upright and appearing as competent as she could possibly muster. her eyes are twinkling, regarding lexa with almost a hint of… intimidation?

she stomps right back up to clarke, nose to nose, pointing in the direction of her car. “i want a rematch,” lexa says. she turns towards her sister. “anya, tell clarke i want a rematch.”

“you just did.”

“that’s right.” anya rolls her eyes in response, but the other girl doesn’t see, turning back towards clarke instead. “clarke, i would like a rematch.”

clarke’s looking at her with a playful look in her blue eyes. “why? so i can kick your ass again?”

lexa _fumes_ , lifting her chin and scrunching her nose. her intimidation technique is usually always successful in conveying the same message: don’t even try. but under the influence, it’s about as intimidating as a puppy’s snarl. she’s definitely too drunk to drive and really shouldn’t be thinking about challenging clarke to a race.

but the blonde is right in front of her, _keys in hand_ , smug grin on her pretty lips that lexa absolutely wants to wipe off.

“anya, drive,” lexa says, detaching her car beeper from the key ring in her pocket and tossing it to anya.

clarke turns towards raven, helping her stand. “raven, you up for this? no drinks from you tonight?”

the other girl smirks. “nope. let’s make it a little more fun. anya and i both have a good amount of weed on us. if you guys are up for the great american challenge, losers have to provide the weed and winners reap the benefits.”

“you’re on,” lexa says.

“you’re awfully ambitious,” anya tells her sister, smirking.

“i know what i’m about, anya,” she responds, looking towards clarke and raven. “okay, if you win, we smoke an ounce of our weed. if we win,” she looks at clarke, “can i take you on a date?”

“god, why am i sober right now,” anya mutters beside lexa, who’s too concerned with the glint in clarke’s eyes to listen to her sister.

“if we win,” clarke counters, “we smoke your weed, i get your number so i can hit you up and arrange some time to give you some lessons on how to drive. free of charge.”

raven oohs, and anya snorts.

lexa and clarke exchange harmless glares. lexa says nothing, choosing to let her actions speak for her. she sticks her forearm out for clarke to grasp, finalizing the terms of their race, anya and raven doing the same.

“anya, get the car,” lexa says once they break. “these two are about to eat my dust.”

“i don’t even know where you parked,” anya says drolly, following behind her sister as she leads them in some wayward direction.

//

the roads are nearly vacant as they both pull up to a stoplight at the edge of the chain link fence surrounding the lake near their neighborhood. the moon is nearly full tonight, and the water glistens placidly in the distance. on the far side of the lake over the hills lies the ocean. behind them was the glowing lights of city.

it was one of the things lexa loved about tonDC. the lake, forest-y back roads, ocean and city were nearly equidistant from it. they never really had to travel far to get a taste of both nature and the city.

“this road goes straight and curves around the lake into the back roads,” lexa says from the open passenger window. “first one to the end of this stretch.”

she looks ahead of her. it’s about a six hundred foot stretch, illuminated with minimal street lamps. there are two lanes on each side of the road with room for sidewalks and a bike path. during the day, it’s a scenic route, designed to showcase the lake. she’d driven it dozens of times while taking the long way back from wherever she was coming from.

raven revs the engine in response, clarke laughing beside her. their faces are visible now that raven pulled the window down. anya rolls her eyes and cranks the engine as well.

“how long have you been racing?” anya asks loudly for her voice to carry over to the other car. she keeps her eye on the light. it glows red as cross traffic passes.

“since my feet could reach the pedals,” raven tells her, eyes on the traffic light as well.

“so like... last week?”

raven snorts. “funny.”

“where’s your car at?”

“back at the house. it’s a two-seater—can’t really fit all of us in it,” the brunette responds. she moves her hand so it sits on the arch.

“aw, is it one of those cute little mini electric cars?”

the other girls laughs out loud now, shaking her head. “watch the light, sweetie.”

she begins rolling up the window as cross traffic slows. the intersection is clear, and clarke catches lexa’s eye and winks before the window is sealed shut.

lexa blinks, unsure of what had happened for a moment. a wave of heat washes over her face, and she begins pulling up the window when the car suddenly lurches forward.

the light had just turned green, and her back flattens against the chair as anya presses down on the gas pedal. both cars jerk forward, engines roaring. this stretch of road is nearly twice as long as the one they had raced on the previous day, and the sound from the throttle of both engines is deafening.

the cars are neck-and-neck for seconds that seem to stretch into minutes. lexa’s car is thrumming with energy, rumbling beneath her as anya pushes the engine down the path.

lexa hears anya laugh victoriously as their car pulls forward. there’s one final pull as the anya shifts into a lower gear, letting the car roll freely as they near the bend.

the two revel in their victory for a split second before clarke’s white car zooms beside them, wheels turned and tail dragging. the front wheels barely brush the yellow paint dividing the lanes as the car wheels squeal against the asphalt, staying between the lane lines as they drive past.

“shit,” lexa says simply, looking at anya with a frown.

“did she just fucking drift?” anya asks, not waiting for an answer before gassing it after them. “how did she do that in clarke’s tall ass car and not die?”

“i dunno, sis,” her sister answers as they pull up beside clarke’s car on the road. they’re both going at a reasonable speed at this point, and raven rolled the window down on her driver’s side. both cars slow when they see the glowing red lights from the stoplight up ahead. “but,” she continues, laughing and looking over as raven and clarke make faces at them from the other car, sticking their tongues out and flipping them off, “i think we lost.”

//

clarke’s car follows along behind them as anya drives the long way back towards 214. the path lexa directs her to takes them right alongside the beach. the moon hovers above the horizon, light reflecting off the waves. lexa bobs along to the music as anya turns off the road, leading them back to tonDC.

the party is still going on full-blast when they get back despite the jungle juice coolers being nearly empty. the inside of the house is still as warm as they had left it, and luna switched DJ privileges over to a mutual friend, monty. he has everyone dancing, bass pounding, and the cacophony of conversations and bp games and music is even more deafening than the roar of the engines from earlier.

lexa has sobered up a bit at this point. clarke and raven haven’t shown yet—their cars had split earlier to find parking—so she grabs another drink for her and anya before they go off in separate directions. there’s a little more walking room now, and lexa easily picks out luna and octavia in the crowd before they pull her in to dance.

she moves along to the music easily. someone passes a joint around, the bass thumps evenly, and the lights above make everyone seem ethereal, their faces glowing pink, blue, green.

then lexa sees raven by the DJ table, talking and joking with monty and anya. she dances and searches for clarke, for a trace of pink hair underneath the array of lights. she thinks she sees it next to one of bellamy’s friends, wells. another time by the drinks.

then her eyes find a pair of blue right in front of her, eyelashes dark and eyeliner winged. clarke’s irises are a dispersion of blues even underneath all the changing lights, more like gemstones than simply the blue of her eyes. her pupils are dilated and lexa feels all her senses simultaneously heighten.

clarke takes her outstretched hand and pulls her body towards her own in the middle of the crowd. she tugs lexa’s hand up over her shoulder, bringing their bodies even closer as they sway to the beat.

clarke smells like smoke and something sweet and flowery that draws lexa even closer. she drapes her other arm around clarke’s neck as the blonde’s hands find the curve of her hips.

there’s a part of lexa that is absolutely terrified—because she likes clarke and doesn’t want to do anything that might ruin whatever the flirtatious banner they had been throwing back and forth all night was; but another part of her doesn’t even care—whatever she had been doing seemed to work for clarke. with a few drinks downed and then some, lexa is leaning towards the latter.

clarke’s presence is heady and intoxicating in itself. her hands match the sway of lexa’s hips and she teases lexa, hands never drifting lower than the small of her back, face brushing against lexa’s as they dance but never quite touching.

there is suddenly a noise against the door heard even over the music and they break apart, lexa pulling back suddenly at the sound of very loud and present banging on the door. the sound was all too familiar.

clarke immediately stills her movements when she realizes lexa is no longer dancing, eyes searching. the brunette shares a look with her other roommates before meeting clarke’s, faces close.

“i’ll handle this,” lexa tells her.

the blonde nods, going back towards raven. the other partygoers seem to notice the banging on the door as well.

“luna, get the music,” lexa instructs before turning towards octavia. “octavia, go outside and tell everyone to shut the fuck up.” the music shuts off. “emori, watch the stairs so no one tries to make a break for it with our stuff.”

the brunette turns back to the hundred and fifty or so of their guests, who are all drunkenly standing with their drinks in hand, looking as confused as ever.

“okay, if any of you want to keep partying tonight, _BE QUIET_!” lexa says loudly, voice ringing with authority and clarity across the living room. “cops are here.” she holds out a hand straight in front of her. “everyone on this side, move to the left and shut the fuck up, please,” she directs as the partiers shift. “i don’t want the cops seeing anyone when i open the door, so shift!”

surprisingly, everyone on her left shifts into the dining area of the first floor. clarke watches as lexa directs the other side to all squeeze into the other area of the room, flattening against the wall. she had gone from a sweet, drunk girl falling all over how pretty clarke and raven were to directing a large group of strangers into position to address the cops. lincoln, gus, bellamy, anya, and a few of bellamy’s friends help shift everyone around and out of sight. the main floor is clear aside from a few BP tables, and everyone shifts uncomfortably on their feet in such close proximity as lexa opens the door.

lexa speaks surprisingly coherently to the cops. they talk about the late hour and the noise complaint from a few neighbors, and lexa nods her head along to appease them.

she waits until the patrol car drives away before closing the door, turning back towards monty.

“alright, cops are gone. DJ MG, crank it up but at a slightly lower volume so they don’t come back!”

//

the 214 girls begin kicking people out around half past three. they get the last of the stragglers out by four, and soon, everyone is gathered around the couches or sitting around on skateboards in the living room.

word had passed between bellamy and lincoln’s friends about the bet lexa and anya had lost, and they chose to stick around for the night. lexa finally learned everyone’s names after she had all the pipes stacked on her in rotation. there was bellamy, lincoln, wells, murphy, roan, clarke, and raven joining 214’s main crew tonight, which comprised of lexa, octavia, emori, luna, lincoln, and (temporarily) anya.

clarke stays close to lexa after the cops had left, even helps clear out guests. she’s next to lexa now, helping her roll joints and blunts to cycle into the rotation while matching every single hit lexa takes.

their party lights are still on and the room is in a haze and everyone is couch-locked, staring up at the display of lights on the ceiling or bobbing their heads along to the music playing quietly.

lexa and octavia realize that it is a little difficult trying to find bedding and places for bellamy and his friends to sleep while high. despite the state of downstairs, the upstairs of their house was pretty orderly and clean.

they come downstairs once they’ve salvaged enough blankets and pillows for everyone, finding roan and murphy setting up octavia’s hookah.  lincoln approaches the two of them and helps distribute the blankets while everyone discusses sleeping arrangements. wells is passed out on the couch despite sitting upright, and bellamy gently pushes him to the side to make enough room for him and anya to sit. emori has her phone plugged into the speakers, playing music quietly as she grabs a beer for everyone as they settle in for the night. or early morning, since it was getting lighter outside the blinds of their window.

clarke takes one of the air blowers from lexa for the air mattresses that lexa had found a few lying around in the hall closet. lexa unfolds the air mattress from the packaging and sits on a skateboard, rolling over to where clarke is seated on another skateboard.

they talk quietly amongst each other while murphy and roan finish setting up the hookah, taking a few hits when they’re handed the hose. their legs are stretched out and touching, feet casually crossed over one another’s.

the blonde watches lexa’s hands as she sets up the machine to the mattress, plugging it into the wall. her wrists are small and her hands are slender. her eyes seem even bigger beneath the low light, green eyes gleaming. the motorized pump hums quietly as the mattress begins to fill with air.

lexa takes two beers from emori when she offers them to the girls, handing one over to clarke.

“so,” she says, clinking the neck of their bottles together. “you won.”

they sip.

“i did,” clarke says. the beer is surprisingly refreshing, alleviating the dryness in her mouth. “or, raven did.”

they both glance over at raven, who’s blowing Os with roan, murphy, bell, and wells, who is now awake.

“did we put up a good fight though?”

clarke makes a face. “mmm, yeah. sure,” she teases. “raven’s a mechanical engineer in training though, so don’t feel too bad.”

lexa nods, chuckling. “now it all makes sense.”

“i won the first race, though,” the blonde says, voice low. she smiles, and lexa laughs out loud.

bellamy and anya are laughing about something too—probably the two of them in the corner, but lexa doesn’t pay much mind. she pulls a knee up to her chest and rests her chin on it, looking at clarke curiously.

“what?” the blonde asks, watching as lexa rolls back and forth on the skateboard using a foot to propel herself.

“you’re bellamy and lincoln’s friend.”

she says it more like a statement than a question, but the sentence itself sounds like it was meant to be more of the latter.

“yes.”

“so you’ve probably partied with them before.”

“i have.”

lexa links her hands together, placing them on her knee before she rests her chin on them. clarke watches lexa’s eyebrows furrow.

“why do you look like you’re taking a math test?” clarke asks, bemused, and lexa relaxes her face before smiling.

“i’m trying to figure out whether or not i’ve seen you at our parties before,” lexa explains. “not here, but at our old house at 303. i’ve invited lincoln to almost all of them, but i’ve never seen you.” lexa pauses, moving to cross her ankle over her leg instead. “i definitely would have remembered you.”

the blonde meets lexa’s eyes for a moment, grinning widely. it’s mischievous, probably meant to be more of a smirk than anything, but her bright eyes and flushed cheeks betray her, and she glows like the setting sun. lexa finds herself looking at clarke’s lips as the two of them drift farther away from the others to the dining area of the living room.

“bell said he and lincoln met while working as counselors at a kids day camp one summer,” clarke explains. “that’s how lincoln met O. raven and i just happened to transfer here for summer classes. wanted to live in the city for a change. i know bell through another summer job we worked. he said he knew a couple people who went to polis. ” she looks towards murphy, roan, wells. “now, you.”

lexa shakes her head incredulously. “and here i am, minding my own business, and a car identical to mine pulls up next to me. same LTD model, different color. gasses my ass.” clarke laughs. “how, of all people, did it end up being you?” lexa asks after a long drink.

clarke matches her. “small world. maybe the stars are aligned.”

lexa laughs again. “maybe they are.”

her head is light, mind floating, and her eyes seem to want to focus on everything—the lights, the smoke billowing from someone’s hit, the music—but she seems to be fixated on clarke, and only clarke.

she catches lexa watching, but she already has something ready to say.

“i guess you’ll be wanting that number now.”

clarke smiles. “yes, please.”

the blonde quirks her head in lexa’s direction again once her phone is put away with lexa’s number saved in it, lips pursing into the slightest (and cutest) smile.

“there,” lexa says quietly.  she switches the motor off, sealing off the mattress. her eyes flick up to meet clarke’s, and she hadn’t realized how close the other girl’s face was. “anything else?”

“well, you never congratulated me for winning the first race.”

“i did not.”

“how about something else instead?” clarke’s breath ghosts over lexa’s cheek, and she finds herself inexplicably looking at the blonde’s lips again.

lexa lifts her chin slightly. “what is it?”

“a kiss would work just as fine.”

her smile grows, cheeks full, eyes shining. “would it?”

clarke bites her lip, a look of mock confliction crossing her face.  “mmmm… yeah.”

lexa huffs through her nose despite her heart pounding in her chest. she can’t tell if the tremor in her hands is all in her head or not, but clarke’s so close, and lexa was _not_ going to fuck this up right now.

she scoots forward on her skateboard to glide closer to clarke. their boards are parallel, and lexa crosses her legs over clarke’s board to hold it in place while her hands gently brush strands of hair away from clarke’s face, and she smiles to herself.

they are so fucking textbook right now—hair brushing out of her face, smiling stupidly at each other under dim lights—straight out of a rom-com, but lexa doesn’t care.

“you’re the one brushing my hair out of my face,” clarke tells her quietly, and lexa blushes with embarrassment.

“did i say that out loud again?” she asks, cheeks aching in the best possible way.

“yes.”

she rests her hands on either side of clarke’s face, palms soft, thumbs blazing across her cheekbones. clarke’s hands cover the back of her own, stilling her shaking hands.

“whenever you’re ready,” clarke teases, eyes regarding lexa with something she can’t quite describe yet.

lexa closes her eyes, her lips stretched into a full grin, before she kisses clarke.

she meets lexa halfway, pressing their faces even closer when their lips meet.

lexa pushes gently against clarke, lips soft, breathing her in, noting how her hands grip lexa’s ever so slightly. they part for a moment and meet again, lexa’s bottom lip gliding over clarke’s before she captures it between her own, biting only enough for clarke to feel it, not for it to hurt.

no one pays them much mind, thankfully. even so, nothing could break this moment right now—all lexa could think about was kissing clarke back.

her nose brushes against clarke’s, and lexa aches to feel more of clarke against her, her face, cheeks, hands. she shifts her head against clarke’s to pull her even closer, pressing her face against clarke’s as they kiss, holding her loosely between her hands in case the other girl wanted to stop.

the brunette’s breaths are shallow, and she’s so soft and gentle with clarke until the other girl kisses her with more fervor, pulling her closer and trying to draw more breaths out of her.

they break apart and clarke pulls back, resting her forehead against lexa’s. they’re still for a moment too long, and lexa lets her hands fall from clarke’s face.

she waits, sitting across from clarke, heads hovering inches from each other.

“congratulations, by the way,” lexa whispers, opening her eyes at the sound of clarke’s voice.

“that was the first time i ever kissed a girl,” she tells lexa, and a part of her heart aches for clarke.

her eyes eventually meet clarke’s, and lexa smiles. “yeah? how was it?”

clarke returns it. she leans forward, running her thumb over lexa’s bottom lip and then across her cheek. “warm. nice,” she pauses. “soft.”

lexa chuckles quietly, head dropping. “well, i’m glad.”

clarke smiles, her hand finding its way into lexa’s. “thank you.” she holds it loosely and runs her thumb over lexa’s knuckles. “i liked it. another would be even better.”

lexa lifts her head to meet clarke’s eyes. “i agree.”

they don’t kiss immediately. rather, they rest their heads together, like they’re going to kiss each other’s cheeks instead. it’s a quiet, intimate moment between them that seems so emotionally charged. lexa’s heart feels so present in her chest, blood rushing in her ears, head throbbing very slightly from the night.

clarke waits, soaking in the moment as well. their hands are still joined, her index finger resting on lexa’s pulse point, and she presses her face even closer to lexa’s cheek, breathing her in. lexa can still feel the warmth from her body, like the air between them was electric.

“and i like you,” clarke tells her, loud enough for lexa’s ears only.

she feels the other girl smile, her laugh rocking their bodies slightly. it’s nearly six in the morning. the sky glows with dawn, but the night felt endless because of the darkness and the spinning lights and the lack of clocks in their living room. it’s nearly six in the morning and lexa realizes that she had very much underestimated her feelings for clarke.

and right now, clarke is looking at lexa underneath the glowing pink lights, which fade into a cyan, making it seem as if they were submerged underwater. lexa read somewhere that your memory is better with recalling events when matched with color. and right now, underneath all these lights, lexa thinks she could relive this moment for the rest of her life.

she meets so many people at so many parties and social events—most of whom really only hit her up for party addresses or drugs, she realizes—but none quite like clarke. or raven, for the matter, or anyone sitting in her living room right now. clarke, who’s probably the epitome of a party girl right now, with her pink hair and pretty, flushed face, perfectly showy tank top and jeans that hug _everything_ perfectly, bigass car and probably an even bigger ego.

but her voice is so soft and her touch is so gentle, and she has a humble essence to her that lexa can’t place. clarke’s touch was definitely present tonight, but it was almost hesitant, never forceful. lexa had only noticed this because she was doing the same to the other girl—reading her movements in case she went too far.

but right now, everything about clarke’s body language draws lexa closer. she had turned so she was completely facing lexa. her face is a distance away from lexa’s so they weren’t quite touching, but the space between them makes it seem like they’re galaxies apart rather than a few mere inches. clarke’s hands are still while wrapped around lexa’s own.

“i like you too, clarke,” lexa tells her quietly. her eyes are open and honest, and clarke is lovely underneath the pink and blue lights. her body seems to relax upon hearing lexa’s words, and she sees the hint of a smile on lexa’s face as she moves closer. lexa can still feel the warmth from her body, like the air between them was electric.

 _whenever you’re ready_.

she pulls back to look at clarke once more before pulling her in for another kiss.

//

eventually the others call them back to join them in the smoke ring. lexa’s surprised she’s still awake at this point, but so is everyone else.

“i can’t believe that i met you today,” lexa says, voice low. clarke’s next to her on the couch, their sides touching. “i’m glad i did. it was an honor to lose a race to you and raven. twice.”

clarke laughs quietly. she’s smiling with all her teeth, and lexa’s so close she’s all clarke can see.

“thank you for letting us stay tonight.” clarke’s eyes flick up to scan the room. “we appreciate it. raven, especially.”

lexa follows clarke’s gaze to the brunette, who’s now sitting on one of the steps by the staircase, head leaning on the railing.

“she’s so baked she fell asleep looking at the lights,” bellamy says, pointing up at the lights the discoball was emitting onto the ceiling.

he’s alone on the couch now—anya had gone up to lexa’s room to pass out in her bed earlier and wells is now asleep in the two-seater. he shakes his head at her, draining the rest of his beer before going to pick up raven.

“you’re welcome,” lexa says to clarke, watching as bellamy gently picks up raven.

clarke and lexa laugh when they hear raven growl in her sleep as bellamy carries her over to the two air mattresses near them, set up beside each other to form one big enough for three.

the two of them roll back and forth on their boards in silence for a moment. bellamy throws a blanket over raven and leaves a water bottle by her before going outside to join roan to have a smoke.

neither of the girls really want the night to end—really, they’re just looking for an excuse to stay up with each other.

“i’m going on a three week trip to nepal in two weeks,” lexa tells clarke quietly.

clarke’s eyes meet lexa’s, and they’re almost somber. “that’s really far away.”

“i know,” the brunette says. she gently takes one of clarke’s hands into her own. “but i would like to see you again before i leave, if that’s okay with you.”

clarke smiles without her teeth. her eyes are closed. “party at my place next friday.”

lexa’s heart soars, and she laughs. “i’ll be there.”

“good.”

“and you can one-up me with racing, clarke, but O, luna, emori, and i are known for our parties.”

“we’ll see about that,” clarke teases. lexa runs her thumb over the back of clarke’s hand, and the blonde sighs into the space between them.

“i’m tired,” clarke admits. her eyes are lidded, lashes long.

lexa looks up, noticing the sudden lack of movement in the room. murphy is gone, probably upstairs with emori; she hadn’t noticed when octavia and lincoln had gone upstairs either. wells is asleep on the two-seater, feet hanging over the edge, and roan is in the other couch, hair untied and unruly over his face. raven is peacefully asleep on one end of the mattress, leaving enough room for bellamy and clarke.

“looks like everyone else is, too.” lexa gives clarke a small smile. “let me know if you need anything else. my room is the first door at the top of the stairs.” she scoots back on her board, away from clarke, going to stand.

clarke’s blue eyes don’t leave lexa as she does. she doesn’t make to leave. instead, she hovers above clarke for a second.

“can i still take you up on that date?” lexa asks, tone light.

clarke thinks for a moment. “you’re leaving in two weeks, right? hm,” she adds when lexa nods. “my schedule’s pretty tight for the next two weeks, but i’m sure i could squeeze in a driving lesson or two.” clarke grins. “if by ‘date’ you meant ‘driving lesson’.”

lexa leans down to press a gentle kiss to clarke’s cheek. “i’ll take it.”

**Author's Note:**

> this has been sitting in my drafts for a while and finally i was just like BEGONE  
> i specifically kept everything (details about things like cars and alcohol and songs and the party events and whatnot) vague for you to fill in yourself if you want! but for ur reference (or my reference) i based the cars off of the jeep wrangler polar edition (which originally came in white, blue, and grey). and polis in this fic was based off san francisco. and i apologize if there's any continuation errors in this. i changed the details of it too many times to count haha  
> i'd love to hear your thoughts on this! also you can find me on tumblr at @turtleduckdates. come say hello!


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